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Are shoes becoming the new stocks? For a budding community of
teenage sneakerheads, the answer is unequivocally, "yes."

Like cards, comics and dolls before them, a trading market of
sorts has established itself at sneaker conventions across the
country, where designer basketball shoes are being bartered and sold by high schoolers with
the gusto of stockbrokers and at eye-opening prices, according
to a report by The New York Times.

In mint condition, Nike’s Michael Jordan-branded footwear can
fetch thousands of dollars -- as can limited edition designs only
available in foreign countries. In one instance, reports the
Times, a young trader turned down a $98,000 cash offer
for a pair of Nike sneakers designed by Kanye West.

“I know I could buy a house with this kind of money,” the
18-year-old vendor said. “But I’m a huge Kanye West fan.”

While the cultural craze itself is a huge draw for many teens,
those possessing a sharpened entrepreneurial eye are also aiming
to trade up. For instance, the Times profiled a
13-year-old from New Jersey whose collection grew by four pairs
and $815 after a flurry of 20 transactions in one day.

In addition to conventions held at hotel ballrooms and high
school gyms, this business is booming online, as social media -savvy teens can showcase
their wares on Instagram and Facebook.

And when they do in fact choose to wear the shoes instead of
merely investing in them, special precautions are taken. While
some only sport their shoes in the summertime in order to avoid
weather damage, others have perfected the art of walking like a
duck in order to avoid creasing, the paper reports.